The Christmas Letter That Wasn't

It's been at least 2 years since I last sent out Christmas cards. I was totally geared up to do it this year! Early in December, we donned our best spur-of-the-moment outfits (perhaps most of the family hated their outfit and they didn't fit quite right, but we were clothed and sometimes that's the best we can do), arranged to meet up with our photographer (my sister, she's free and we used Paul's iphone 6+ because we're high-tech), and had some family pictures taken. These are the first family pictures we have taken since Claire's arrival in our family. I know, it's shameful. I hate dressing the family for pictures and making firm commitments for something like a photo appointment. Anyway, we got it done, and it was good enough.
Then I sat down and typed up a good enough holiday newsletter. I sent our photo online to be printed at CVS, went to pick them up, bought stamps, got in the car, decided to take a look before pulling out of the parking lot, and alas, Paul's head was chopped off. Returned the pictures. They were HORRIBLE quality anyway. Decided to try again. At Walmart. It was supposed to take an hour. But I got an email saying there was a delay and I should call the store to find out when they would be ready. Yeah right. I called. Many, many times. They wouldn't answer. Of course. So I decided I wouldn't go that day. I gave them a couple of days, in fact. And then I went to get them probably on three separate occasions, on three separate days, including once when I had actually even received an email stating that my order was ready. Well, it wasn't. On that final trip to pick them up, I was finally told, completely unapologetically, that they were not printed. I had stood in line, on multiple occasions, watched as employees stood chatting rather than doing any work, and was ultimately rudely told that I would have no pictures. Every fiber of my being wanted to launch into a profanity-laden tirade on those lazy jerks. But, I simply huffed, rolled my eyes, turned and marched off, to the sound of one girl's mocking "have a nice day!" I had also submitted them to Costco, to be ready by the same afternoon. When Paul went to pick them up the next day, he was told the computers had gone down. No pictures. It was just not meant to be. But, for posterity's sake, here is what would have been.